oil seepin' (pretty common story, i guess?)

thepaintbox · 09-02-2009, 11:50 PM

So the other day i changed the oil and the oil filter, and now she's bleeding some. The oil seems to be coming out along the top of the clutch plate gasket (where it says 1300ML) and adds up very little actual oil loss. Since it's not in a location that would cause it to leak when the bike is just sitting, I'm not worried about it yet, although i did notice one nice spot on the garage floor. Probably just a little runoff from before? the spot was actually closer to the kickstand, so who knows.

I did leave it in a parking lot today for just an hour and the ground was dry. Any comments?

I think the bike is actually starting to leak because of the nicer oil. I'd been running some real dirty stuff for the last couple hundred miles. That, or it's pissed that it's sitting on campus in the city instead of getting driven in those windy parts of the western pennsylvania suburbs. I'd be mad if i were it.

dhgeyer · 09-03-2009, 08:37 AM

The bike should be oil tight with any oil, dirty or clean. If you went from petro based to synthetic it could be a little more capable of "escaping", but it still shouldn't. The spot closer to the sidestand is puzzling, as that is on the other side of the bike.

The fact that the leak is so high could possibly indicate overfilling, which could also cause other leaks. So you might want to check the level very carefully. Also, you might check the tension on the bolts holding the clutch plate right around the leak, and make sure they are tightened to spec.

Not sure any of this will help. Diagnosing problems over the Internet is iffy at best.

Easy Rider · 09-03-2009, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhgeyer

The fact that the leak is so high could possibly indicate overfilling, which could also cause other leaks. So you might want to check the level very carefully. Also, you might check the tension on the bolts holding the clutch plate right around the leak, and make sure they are tightened to spec.

:plus1:

Two additional comments:

If you are using a different brand of oil, let it go for a while and it might stop on it's own.

Don't OVER tighten those bolts; they would have to be really loose to cause a leak. Most of the time, they are tight enough that they are hard to get loose.

But DO check the oil level. You didn't put in more than 1300 ml/cc did you? Seems like mine always took slightly less than that.

bonehead · 09-03-2009, 11:41 AM

Mine always takes 1.5 us qts. with filter change.

dhgeyer · 09-03-2009, 12:27 PM

Overfilling oil, or any fluids, can cause serious problems, all right.

I'd speculate that maybe he blew a seal, but I'd better not. If I do that, someone's bound to tell that Damn joke again, and I'm getting tired of it. The video with the chimps is a riot, though.

Easy Rider · 09-03-2009, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhgeyer

I'd speculate that maybe he blew a seal, but I'd better not. If I do that, someone's bound to tell that Damn joke again,

The point he mentioned that is leaking in not normally considered a seal but a gasket.
So then maybe you could say he blew a gasket.......which we have seen on here occasionally!
:poke2: :crackup

thepaintbox · 09-03-2009, 01:01 PM

i guess the truth does set us free...

the dumb fella that had her before me overfilled it when he changed it before selling it, and i didn't recognize the problem for a good while. i did correct it, that was 500 miles ago.

this problem started with the new oil. it's not synthetic. just normal 10w40 vavoline. i had originally put in 1300ml but after starting (and i'm assuming the oil filter getting wet) she needed a little more. right now if i go outside and stand her up warm the level settles right at half like it should.

the bolts were a little loose, but not horribly so. i don't have a torque wrench at disposal on campus, but i'm confident i didn't over-tighten them.

09-02-2009, 11:50 PM	#1
thepaintbox Junior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 29	oil seepin' (pretty common story, i guess?) So the other day i changed the oil and the oil filter, and now she's bleeding some. The oil seems to be coming out along the top of the clutch plate gasket (where it says 1300ML) and adds up very little actual oil loss. Since it's not in a location that would cause it to leak when the bike is just sitting, I'm not worried about it yet, although i did notice one nice spot on the garage floor. Probably just a little runoff from before? the spot was actually closer to the kickstand, so who knows. I did leave it in a parking lot today for just an hour and the ground was dry. Any comments? I think the bike is actually starting to leak because of the nicer oil. I'd been running some real dirty stuff for the last couple hundred miles. That, or it's pissed that it's sitting on campus in the city instead of getting driven in those windy parts of the western pennsylvania suburbs. I'd be mad if i were it. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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09-03-2009, 08:37 AM	#2
dhgeyer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Merrimack NH USA Posts: 722	Re: oil seepin' (pretty common story, i guess?) The bike should be oil tight with any oil, dirty or clean. If you went from petro based to synthetic it could be a little more capable of "escaping", but it still shouldn't. The spot closer to the sidestand is puzzling, as that is on the other side of the bike. The fact that the leak is so high could possibly indicate overfilling, which could also cause other leaks. So you might want to check the level very carefully. Also, you might check the tension on the bolts holding the clutch plate right around the leak, and make sure they are tightened to spec. Not sure any of this will help. Diagnosing problems over the Internet is iffy at best. __________________ 54 HD Hummer,64 Honda150,66 Ducati250,01 Vulcan500,02 Vulcan1500,83 Nighthawk650,91 K75,95 VLX,04 VLX,01 GS500E,01 Ninja250, 02 Rebel,04 Ninja500,06 Concours,96 R850R
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09-03-2009, 11:41 AM	#4
bonehead Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: elgin,tx Posts: 907	Re: oil seepin' (pretty common story, i guess?) Mine always takes 1.5 us qts. with filter change. __________________ Standing with the PGR until they stand for me.
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09-03-2009, 12:27 PM	#5
dhgeyer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Merrimack NH USA Posts: 722	Re: oil seepin' (pretty common story, i guess?) Overfilling oil, or any fluids, can cause serious problems, all right. I'd speculate that maybe he blew a seal, but I'd better not. If I do that, someone's bound to tell that Damn joke again, and I'm getting tired of it. The video with the chimps is a riot, though. __________________ 54 HD Hummer,64 Honda150,66 Ducati250,01 Vulcan500,02 Vulcan1500,83 Nighthawk650,91 K75,95 VLX,04 VLX,01 GS500E,01 Ninja250, 02 Rebel,04 Ninja500,06 Concours,96 R850R Login or Register to Remove Ads
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09-03-2009, 01:01 PM	#7
thepaintbox Junior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 29	Re: oil seepin' (pretty common story, i guess?) i guess the truth does set us free... the dumb fella that had her before me overfilled it when he changed it before selling it, and i didn't recognize the problem for a good while. i did correct it, that was 500 miles ago. this problem started with the new oil. it's not synthetic. just normal 10w40 vavoline. i had originally put in 1300ml but after starting (and i'm assuming the oil filter getting wet) she needed a little more. right now if i go outside and stand her up warm the level settles right at half like it should. the bolts were a little loose, but not horribly so. i don't have a torque wrench at disposal on campus, but i'm confident i didn't over-tighten them.
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